1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to applicators for cosmetic products, and, more particularly, to applicators for nail polish.
2. Summary of the Background Information
A conventional nail polish bottle includes a glass reservoir with an externally threaded opening, a screw cap removably sealing the opening, and an applicator brush fastened to the screw cap to extend downward into the liquid contents of the reservoir. The glass reservoir holds enough nail polish for 20-25 applications. Nail polish bottles of this type are used both by consumers who paint their own nails, or those of friends, and by operators in beauty salons to paint the nails of clients.
One current trend is an increase in the variety of color patterns formed by the application of nail polish, with multiple colors being applied to individual nails to form, for example, white “tips” extending along the outer edges of the nails while one or more different colors covers the remaining portions of the nails. Multiple colors for painting nails may be chosen for complimenting one another or for representing an institution, such as a school, or the flag of a nation or state. In many cases a particular color pattern is worn for a short time, such as a few hours, instead of for days or weeks, resulting in a need for the availability of small amounts of many colors rather than a large amount of a single color for retouching or reapplication.
Another current trend in the cosmetics and health fields is the use of disposable or “one-time use” tools and supplies to avoid spreading various types of contamination from one person to another. This trend also results in a need for efficient packages holding just enough nail polish for use on a single client.
The patent literature includes a number of descriptions of devices for dispensing a single-use portion of a liquid to be used for cosmetic purposes. For example, a pen is described as dispensing nail polish for a single-use application from a disposable cartridge, which includes a capsule holding the nail polish and a brush to which nail polish is fed from the capsule. The other end of the capsule is sealed with a piston. The pen includes a rod driven against the piston and into the capsule by a ratchet mechanism, with an end of the capsule near the brush first being punctured by a spike allowing the nail polish to flow into the brush through an opening within the spike. Each time the spike is advanced by the ratchet mechanism, more nail polish is pushed into the brush. After completing the application of nail polish, the cartridge is removed and disposed, making the pen ready for the installation of a new cartridge.
Another example of the patent literature describes a disposable container for the application of paints, medicaments and coatings having a compressible hollow body with a closed end and a membrane sealed open end, and a stationary applicator housing fitted on the membrane sealed open end so that when the hollow body containing liquid is compressed, the membrane is punctured or fractured and the liquid is supplied to the applicator.
A dispenser for dispensing a flowable material, which has a container having a side wall and further having a closed end and an open end, is additionally described. A membrane defines a chamber within the container between the membrane and the closed end of the container. The membrane has a weld seam rupturable upon the application of a force to a side wall of the container proximate the membrane. A swab assembly is operably connected to the open end of the container such that the swab assembly is in flow communication with the open end.
A container or case for cosmetics or other products that are applied by an applicator tool, is further described, with the container or case comprising a housing adapted to receive an exchangeable cartridge and a handle adapted to receive an exchangeable applicator tool. In some embodiments, the housing comprises a window for viewing the substance contained in the exchangeable cartridge.
A single-use cosmetic package having a pouch with a front wall and a back wall, with a wand stored in the pouch is also described. Upper and lower seals hermetically seal the perimeter of the pouch. A middle seal divides the pouch into a product reservoir in a lower half of the pouch and a dry chamber in the upper half. The wand projects from a handle end in the dry chamber through the middle seal to an applicator end in the product reservoir. A dog-bone shaped sealing structure on the wand forms a hermetic seal with the middle seal. The dry chamber is opened by pulling opposite tabs to peel the front wall from the back wall. When the wand is pulled from the pouch, a flange on the wand expands the middle seal to form a wiper opening in the product reservoir. The wiper opening is sized to wipe the applicator end of the wand, or an applicator attached to the end of the wand.
An applicator assembly is further described, with the applicator assembly including a base member, a cap member removably associated with the base member, a container for a substance to be applied; and an applicator member removably associated with the container. The container and applicator member are configured to be received within an interior space defined between the base member and cap member.
One problem with the conventional nail polish bottle results from the relatively small size of the screw cap, which must be used as a handle to maneuver the applicator brush during the application of nail polish. The small cap must be grasped between the fingertips of the user, allowing the cap to slip between the fingertips and making it difficult to apply a an accurate pattern of paint to a fingernail. A solution for this problem is described in the patent art in the form of an overshell of compressible material surrounding the applicator cap, with the overshell providing a finger gripping surface on the applicator cap.